Agenda item

1. Air Quality Issues in Marlborough

 

Peter Nobes, Environmental Protection Officer, will give a presentation on the air quality management plan options for Marlborough and respond to any questions.

 

2. Health and Social Care

 

To receive the following updates on the current situation in health and social care provision, and consider a proposal to set up a working group to address local health issues:

 

                       i.       Cllr Jemima Milton will give a presentation on her role as the Wiltshire Councillor portfolio holder for adult care; and

 

                     ii.       Val Compton will update the meeting on her proposal to create a local health forum.

a. Air Quality Issues in Marlborough

 

Peter Nobes, (Environmental Protection Officer, Wiltshire Council) gave a presentation on the air quality management plan options for Marlborough in which he outlined the work that Wiltshire Council had been carrying out in monitoring Air Quality in Marlborough for several years.

 

A recent report (The Detailed Assessment of the Air Quality in Herd Street, Marlborough) had stated that the UK Air Quality Objectives for the average concentration of the exhaust pollutant, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is likely to be exceeded in Herd Street / Barn Street. 

 

As a result of the conclusions made in this report, Wiltshire Council now had a duty to declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) which will need to cover at least the area known to be a problem and are seeking to consult on options for the AQMA within the Marlborough area.

 

While the air quality problems in Herd Street / Barn Street are known and monitoring is established, there is concern regarding levels of pollution in other areas of the town and so Wiltshire Council are suggesting three alternatives for the AQMA within Marlborough and to consult with residents as to the best option for the town.

 

The final decision of the boundary and the formal designation of the AQMA would be made by the Marlborough Area Board, the decision making body for Wiltshire Council in the Marlborough Area. 

 

The options for the air quality management areas are:

 

• Herd Street / Barn Street.

 

• Marlborough Main roads that fed into Herd and Barn Street.

 

• Marlborough town centre.

 

 

Peter Nobes outlined the proposed consultation that would take place:

 

• Introduce options to area board.

 

• Local display / meetings.

 

• Formally approve detailed assessment including AQMA boundaries at the area board.

 

• Further assessment (12 months).

 

• Air Quality Action Plan (12 – 18 months).

 

 

 

Points made from the floor included:

 

• The cause of the air pollution in Marlborough is the volume of traffic travelling through it, an issue that needed to be addressed as well as the air pollution.

 

• That Herd and Barn Street are about 20% above the average concentration of the exhaust pollutant, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂).

 

• Marlborough required a bypass to deal with both issues.

 

 

The Chairman thanked Peter Nobes for his presentation.

 

 

 

b. Health and Social Care

 

To receive the following updates on the current situation in health and social care provision, and consider a proposal to set up a working party to address local health issues:

 

Maggie Rae, (Director of Public Health & Wellbeing, a joint appointment across NHS Wiltshire and Wiltshire Council), gave a verbal presentation on the changes occurring in the department for public health.

 

Points made included:

 

• Changes to the health system with public health going back into local government.

 

• Looking at health choices – what people want from their health services.

 

• More power being given to local authorities to look at how their community areas roll out health care.

 

• Lack of engagement had been an issue with the Primary Care Trust.

 

• Wiltshire generally does have good air quality but there are some issues with child related asthma.

 

 

 

Chris Graves, (Strategy and Commissioning, Adult Care Services, Wiltshire Council) gave a verbal presentation on adult health and social care.

 

Points made included:

 

• Health and social care face a challenging time when the outcomes of the central government spending review is announced.

 

• Modernisation of service delivery working with a new GP commissioning framework.

 

• More local participation.

 

 

 

Jemima Milton gave a brief presentation on her role as the Wiltshire Councillor portfolio holder in adult care.

 

Points made included:

 

• There was pressure on departments of Wiltshire Council to make savings.

 

• There was an increase in older people throughout Wiltshire needing care services.

 

• The importance of supporting Wiltshire’s care homes and looking after Wiltshire’s vulnerable people.

 

• The importance of trying to keep people in their own homes, but trying to balance this by people downsizing to smaller properties after dependants have left home.

 

• Looking at how dementia suffers could be better served.

 

• The importance of the Marlborough Area Board encouraging more elderly and people with disabilities to attend and participate in our meetings.

 

• Looking at what the local community wanted.

 

 

 

Val Compton updated the meeting on her proposal to create a Patient Participation Group.

 

Points made included:

 

• The importance of creating a dialogue with local people and health/social care professionals in order to set up the forum.

 

• Local people wanted their views to be heard but did not want “consultation overkill”.

 

• The importance of bottom up consultation, with people feeding into their local GP.

 

 

The Chairman advised that it would be beneficial if Maggie Rae, Chris Graves, Val Compton and a rural representative set up a working group to pursue the ideas. It was agreed that the community area manager would co-ordinate this, Mary Spender, (Fyfield and West Overton parish council) advised that she may have a contact who could act as the rural representative).

 

 

Decision

 

• That the Marlborough Area Board agrees to set up and support a local health forum.

 

• That the working group come back to the 8 February 2011 area board meeting and give an update.

 

 

The Chairman thanked everybody for their input and looked forward to the February 2011 update.